Girls (and Boys) of Summer

Arlette and Alex (henceforth referred to as simply The Girls) Brigitte (henceforth referred to as simply The Girl) and I (call me what you will) made the first foray into summer with an optimistic barbecue session.

Armed with our new Weber Smokey Joe, we fired up some maple hardwood with my homemade chimney starter (see photos below) and didn't end up in the Burn Unit at the Jewish -- a major accomplishment, considering that Arlette burned a hole in her blouse with a floating ember.

My research paid off. I'd been looking for a good grilling recipe and I found one for the meat and one for the shrimp, with something called Charmoula, which I'd never heard of.

Recipes follow photos (click to enlarge). It was a great triumph.

The Girls prepping

My improvised olive can chimney-starter

Meat grillin'; We chillin'

The dinosaur "shrimp" (small lobsters?)

Tasted way better than it looks!

The denouement: Arlette's strawberries in whipped cream

Marinade for kebabs

Ingredients
1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
6 medium cloves garlic , peeled
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon table salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Method
Pulse-blend all ingredients in food processor. Marinate beef in tight container or zip-lock bag for 2 up to 48 hours.

Charmoula sauce for grilled shrimp
Makes enough to sauce 1 1/2 pounds shrimp.

Ingredients
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red bell pepper , stemmed, seeded, and diced very small (about 1/2 cup)
1 small red onion , minced (about 3/4 cup)
3 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
7 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup minced fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice from 1 lemon

Method
Sauté everything up to the garlic on medium heat until soft, about ten minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Add remaining ingredients and pulse in food processor until roughly sauced. Add chicken broth as necessary to thin. Warm before serving on shrimp.